Ask Us!: Open Educational Resources (OER)

Depending on the nature of your presentation or publication and how you incorporate the image into it, your use may or may not involve Fair Use or other exemptions under copyright law. You can learn more about using images and respecting the creators' copyright via the links below. 

To find images without certain copyright restrictions, we recommend using Openverse. You can filter to find images with specific Creative Commons licenses. Find documentation on how to use at their site. You can learn more about the types of CC licenses and other licensed images below, plus suggested places to find such images.

Google Images also has a similar search feature. Do a Google search and select Images>Tools>Usage rights and then select the kind of use you are looking for: 

It is recommended that you go to the hosting website of the actual image to verify Google indexed the licensing information correctly. Base your use off the information there after you discover the image through Google.

Public domain images are another option. There are many places you can find public domain images. Some are linked below. 

The library also has databases with images that you might be able to incorporate into your curriculum.

There are many ways to incorporate images as well that avoid copyright issues. If Fair Use does not apply and your image is still restricted by copyright, then sometimes linking to the image for others to view on their own, showing the image from the creator's website during your presentation (without downloading it), or embedding it could be a workaround depending on the format and type of presentation. It is not recommended you download and upload/distribute copyrighted images without permission from the copyrighted holder unless your use falls under Fair Use.